


Connected by a String

by Fangirlshrewt97



Series: My Victuuri Week 2017 fics [6]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Bonds, Communications - Freeform, Day 6, Introspection, Lots of different strings, M/M, Red String of Fate, Soulmates, Victor prompt, Victuuri Week 2017, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-23 23:37:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9687494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirlshrewt97/pseuds/Fangirlshrewt97
Summary: Yuuri spends time at the beach the night before Viktor has to leave thinking about his Strings, and what they all mean to him, and how many he owes to Viktor. Viktor shows up to explain that Yuuri gave him many Strings of his own.[Victuuri Week 2017, Day 6: Bonds, Viktor: Communication, Soulmates]





	

**Author's Note:**

> Dearest Reader,  
> Here is my next installation for Victuuri Week.  
> If you like it, please leave me kudos and let me know what you like about it in the comments!  
> As always, characters belong to Kubo-sensei and mistakes are mine as this is unbeta'd.  
> Thanks and Enjoy!

_**The Life Bonds or as they are more colloquially known, The Stings of Love, are a natural phenomena that has been documented since the beginning of human art and writing, present in every culture with almost identical significance. It is probably the most studied human phenomena in our history, with accounts dating back to Aristotle and Sophocles as well as various books from the Library at Alexandria. While their nature and function as it relates to the survival of our species is still unknown and heavily contended, there are some things that are certain.** _

_**The Strings appear on a person’s non-dominant hand, a different color for each finger indicating relationship. The thumb has the Yellow String, also called the Parent String because the string connects an individual to all they recognize and love as parental figures. The index has the Purple String, connecting individuals with those they consider siblings. The middle finger is the Pink String, the one with the most strings usually because it connects people to those they consider close friends. The pinky is for White Strings, connecting individuals with others they think of as their children and wards. And finally, but probably the most important one, the ring finger has the Red String, that connects individuals to those they hold romantic love for.** _

_**The Strings are not permanent by any means, as they can appear and fade and switch fingers and colors as relationships between the individual and others change. A friend can become a sibling as the string changes from pink to purple and shifts to the index finger. A parent can be unloved and sever that connection. The strength of a relationship is indicated by the intensity of the color of the string, as a relationship fades, so does a String. It is also known that the strings are only visible to each individual, there have been no recorded cases of anyone being able to see another person’s string or feel which finger and color the string is. However it is clear that strings only form through a two-way connection, but it is not necessary for the strings to match (ex. in cases such as unrequited love, one person has had a Red String, and another a Pink or Purple string).** _

_**The Strings continue to be one of our biggest mysteries, constantly being studied, but because of their individualistic nature, it is hard to document solid evidence that would allow us to propose any particular theory. In this book, the authors aim to explore each of the different Strings, cultural differences in ranking their importance, and conclude with a short summary of a few of the most popular theories behind the origin of these Strings.** _

**********

Yuuri sighed as he closed the book, he had read that particular passage so many times, he felt like he could recite it from memory. He was at his quiet spot in the beach again, where months ago, Viktor had asked him what he wanted from him. It felt like so much had changed since then, but sometimes it all felt like a dream that he would wake up from.

Yuuri knew he should be back at the inn, Viktor’s flight was the tomorrow night, and he should be spending as much time with his fiancee before said man left for Russia. Yuuri was set to join him in a couple months, right before the start of the training season. He still had some paperwork left though before he could move to Russia. The Japanese man had been woken up by Mari crashing into something on her way back, and had been unable to fall back asleep. He felt restless in a way that had nothing to do with competition jitters. Truth be told, it was more reminiscent of how he felt in the days leading up to his move to the US. Which was ridiculous because he excited to go and live with Viktor, and he was also used to being away from Japan. But the thought of Viktor leaving without him had his chest tightening in a way that made him unable to breathe.

He should probably talk to the older man, but he had enough worries of his own, what with trying to choreograph his two programs as well as Yuuri’s, and the move back home. He didn’t know what had possessed him to come out here, but the day had been sweltering, the night’s cooler breeze counterbalancing it nicely. The light from the streetlamp had let him read the intro from the book. It was a standard book, just 40 pages long, but it gave everyone an overview into the Strings.

Yuuri had always been fascinated with them, trying to pick at them and laughing when he made his mother laugh as he failed, their bond glowing brighter. Thinking about that had him smiling, remembering the memory fondly. The book was given to him in the 6th grade, when the kids were able to learn about the Strings and understand what they meant.

Between school, dance and skating practice, Yuuri did not have much time for social interaction as a kid, that time shrinking farther when he entered the competitive world. Until he left for the US, he had 6 strings, three Yellows for his parents and Minako-sensei, one Purple for Mari, and two Pinks for the two Nishigoris. His ring finger had not even had the passing Red Strings that so many of his classmates had gained and lost. His love was the ice, where he could dance for himself, creating music with his body.

Arriving in the US, he gained another String three years in. For the first three, he kept to himself, studying and practicing, feeling homesick with not enough friends to ward it off. The other skaters at the rink were nice people, and Celestino tried his best to make him feel at home, but it wasn’t enough. It changed when Phichit Chulanont arrived, freshly recruited by Celestino from Thailand, the boy had never been to the US before but was ready to show the world that Thailand also deserved its spot. At first Yuuri was kind of envious of this new boy, as far from home as he was but always cheerful, his love for the ice evident in every flick of his hand and scrape of blades. Celestino had thought it would be a good idea for them to room together, because Yuuri could show Phichit the ropes.

Yuuri would bet that Celestino could not have hoped for the strong bond to have formed for the two boys whose homes were on the other side of the world, an ocean away. Within a month, the two had a String connecting them to each other, pink and strong. But as the years passed, the color only deepened, as did their relationship. Their Strings shifted when Yuuri returned from his first GPF, defeat and loss written into his very core. Phichit held him and comforted him just as Mari had when he was young, despite the Thai being three years younger than him. Maybe it was the trigger to the inevitable, but that morning, both boys discovered their Strings for each other had shifted from a Pink for friend to Purple for brother.

Saying goodbye to Phichit had been just as hard as it had been saying goodbye to his parents. Returning to Japan, he had 7 strings, wavering in color as he isolated himself inside his own mind, feeling a burden and worthless.

This all changed with Viktor, in fact everything changed with Viktor, in less than a year, Viktor managed to fundamentally alter Yuuri’s entire world. He could now and forevermore divide his life as Before-Viktor and After-Viktor. The brunette had always had affection and adoration of the Russian, following him religiously since Yuuko first introduced him. Having the man in his inn proved to be very different to his fantasies, in the best possible way.

When Yurio barrelled into his life - literally -, he was the first String Yuuri gained after Viktor. Standing underneath those waterfalls, Yuuri saw a softer core to the bristly Russian for the first time, and was determined to see it more. Despite protests and curses aplenty, by the time Yurio left, Yuuri had a very faint Purple string, connecting him to a blond a continent away.

From there, Yuuri gained so many more Strings, his head spun sometimes when he glanced at the rainbow in his left hand. His middle finger was almost obscured by the Pink Strings on it. Leo, Guang-Hong, Chris, Georgi, Mila, Sara, Emil, Otabek, even JJ and Seung-Gil. Just a year before Yuuri had had 7 strings, from the people who had been around him his whole life. But since Viktor came, that number doubled.

Surprisingly, or maybe not so much, their String was not the first to form, in fact it didn’t even fully form until Barcelona and having exchanged rings. They had formed a bond closer than that of a coach and student, that was obvious. But what exactly did they mean to each other?

‘What do you want me to be to you?’ Viktor had asked. Yuuri had told me to be himself, and he had meant it, he never wanted Viktor to be anything less than himself. But what did he want from Viktor? He wanted to spend as much time with him as possible, he wanted to know everything about the older man. What were his parents like, what was his favorite food as a kid, what were his fear? He wanted to spend the rest of his life by that man’s side.

And somehow, miraculously, it had happened. Viktor had kissed him in China, saying it was the only way he could surprise him. They hadn’t immediately become romantically involved, but at least they didn’t have that barrier either. When Yuuri gave Viktor that ring, he had meant it saying those were lucky charms, but honestly Viktor had been his lucky charm. The night after the short program, he had finally told Viktor that he would be ok without him. He had had time to prepare himself for the inevitable heartbreak, but he hadn’t considered that he would be breaking Viktor’s heart.

The night after the exhibition skate, the two of them found their String finally, a Red more vibrant than any Yuuri had ever seen, paling his other Strings by comparison. The Red had only gotten more vibrant and deeper as time progressed. Tracing it now, Yuuri played back the past few months, still having a hard time wrapping his head around how his life had turned out.

He was so involved in this he did not hear the footsteps until a warm body sat next to him. Yuuri jumped before relaxing when he saw it was his fiancee. The silver-haired man still looked a little sleepy with bags under his eyes, and a trail of brushed away drool.

“Viktor!”

“Yuuri, what are you doing out here in the cold. You will get sick and then how am I supposed to leave you like that?” Viktor asked a small pout in his voice as he kept staring ahead. The Hatsetsu lighthouse was shining as it served as a beacon for ships at sea. This late at night though, the town was asleep.

“Gomen Viktor, I didn’t mean to wake you. I just couldn’t fall back asleep and didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Yuuri, how many times do I have to tell you, you will never be a burden to me, I am your fiancee, I am only as happy as you are. Now what were you thinking of so deeply before I came?”

“Nothing… it’s just. Well I was thinking of my Strings.”

“Your … Strings?” Viktor asked, clearly not expecting that.”

“Mmmhmm. I don’t know if I ever told you but you gave me so many Strings VIktor.”

“What?”

“Before you came I had 7 strings. My parents, Minako-sensei, Mari-Oneechan, Yuu-chan, Nishigori, and Phichit. Since you came you have given me one, two, three … eleven Strings.”

“What do you mean?”

“Before you came I was always stuck in my head. I was always so focused on practicing on being the best could be, I ended up pushing most people away. My parents and Onee-chan, well they are family. Minako-sensei too. Yuu-chan, Nishigori and Phichit all worked so hard to get past my walls, not giving up no matter how many I had. When you came, you helped me lower them all, you taught me that sometimes we have to make ourselves vulnerable if we want to have the best rewards. And because of that I made so many friends with the skaters, friendships strong enough to warrant Strings. Hell, I even have a Purple String for Yurio. And they are all thanks to you Viktor.”

Viktor looked stunned, clearly not expecting that. Yuuri just gave him a small smile before he tucked his back into his knees, curling up. After a couple of minutes of silence, Viktor placed a hand at Yuuri’s cheek, shifting it to his chin and lifting his head when Yuuri moved to see him. He caressed Yuuri’s face, his eyes sparkling with love.

“You know Yuuri, you gave me so much too.”

“Me?! What do you mean?” Yuuri asked, starled at the unexpected answer.

“Before I met you I only really had Yakov, my parents had let me go train with him when I was young and they passed away when I was a teenager. Those Strings faded, and when I was fifteen, I only had one String, Yakov’s Yellow one. My rinkmates saw him as the newbie or the rising champion, either way someone in their path. I had no one.

Then I met Chris and got my second String, a Pink one. It was another couple of years before I got Georgi’s. Even more before I got Yurio’s and Mila’s. Chris had shifted to a Purple String in between, but by the time I was 27, I only had 5 Strings. Since meeting you, I have gotten so many Strings of my own. I have a Yellow String from your mother, a Purple one from Mari, and so many Pinks.

Until I met you Yuuri, I had been neglecting life and love outside the ice, but you have given those back to me as well as my love for the ice back. I am going to skate again because of you, I don’t care if I lose to you or Yurio, I have won enough. Even if I don’t win, I am happy because of you. I still love the ice. I know s many who have retired and grown to hate or resent the ice because they invested so much of their life in it and it threw them away so easily. But because of you, I don’t think that will be the case for me.

What I’m trying to say Zvezda Moya, I owe you just as much if not more than what you owe me.”

Yuuri had tears in his eyes by the time Viktor stopped speaking, throwing himself into the Russian’s open arms. “I love you Viktor.”

Viktor just hid a smile in his lover’s black hair, holding him close. “I love you too Yuuri Katsuki. Now what do you say we go back to bed? We still have packing to do tomorrow, or rather today?”

When the black mop nodded, Viktor pressed a kiss to it and rose, holding onto Yuuri to bring him up as well. Once up, Yuuri picked up his book. Viktor just held his hand out and intertwined their fingers once Yuuri gave his. Before coming to Japan, Viktor had had 5 Strings, each kind of pale. Now moving back, Viktor had 10 strong strings, and even if the Red was the darkest, the others were still solid lines of color. Yes, Yuuri had given him his Life and Love and he would be spending the rest of his life paying him back in kind if he had his way.

  


**Author's Note:**

> Zvezda moya: My star  
> If you want to come chat with me, find me at fangirlshrewt97.tumblr.com


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